If travelers got a vote, would they support or oppose the American-US Airways merger? WSJ Middle Seat columnist Scott McCartney joins Lunch Break with the answer. Photo: Getty Images.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... she says ... oh ... each of ... these communities ... she ... all airlines can choose the index's dollars plus many more ... last year ... Doug Parker who will take the helm at the newly merged in US Airways and American Airlines promising that customers that will benefit from the Union ... welcome to lunch break I'm Kelsey Hubbard thanks for watching it here at the beest live ... and here at the law Street Journal airline consumer expert and Middle Seat columnist Scott McCartney has the final word to take a look ... at what this merger means for the industry he joins me now to break down what this means for everybody's got thanks for joining us ... each ... the Scots consumers will have one less carrier to choose from in a planned our next trip ... how this affects the consumers that when they travel with a private bath ... she she gets to work out fine for consumers ... once you heard the exterior but ... but what what ... American becomes is a much larger carrier ... we actually can offer more connections for Jerry US Airways customer ... here they all big network that you have or ... if you're an American customer you're getting access to some US cities that she didn't have before ... well we seen over the years the airline industry it is so competitive ... three big international carriers ... significant ... discount airline presents ... and competition will still be strong in the in the skies ... for the February when we have a merger like this that prices will rise that with a bowl of ... ice rink for them so ... are any of their peers ... they have their name from this right now anything that's factored we know that this will actually expansive that raises the half when define ... you ... prices measured by ... the Labor Statistics the consumer price ... index ... aam since the year two thousand airline prices are up about ... thirty two percent ... so it's lower than the overall rate of inflation on things like food and beverage housing ... and that ... actually increased faster than their land prices in that period were received significant consolidation in the U S airline industry ... that being the difference in their alliances are applying the plans are extremely portable ... so its shares go up on in that in one community ... other airlines can easily move in ... to live to serve on planes go where there is demand that plagues go where prices are high ... and data and on light ... hotels or ... retailers restaurants or whatever it's very easy to new competition around the airline industry ... it didn't say you get that discipline on fears that we've seen over the years ... I've been a lot of it all wanna know what's going to happen to the rewards program with and interact ... they will well we seen with other mergers is that there are ... a lot to change is coming ... some people like that some people won't like um ... but Junior miles there's a ... no no combined US Airways into the American advantage program ... he'll have to to do some juggling with that status levels ... aam ... different perks um I think one of the ... really big issues with this merger ... it is that the U S Airways has allowed access ... to rack up miles on short flights they typically redeem them on partner airlines for long trips ... aam will now they can redeem ... it wraps up on America and that they wanna go to Hawaii they want a Europe that one gets up America wherever they want to go there can be a lot more competition for those award seats on American on sort of ... historic American flights ... and it did so it may be harder to match the ... redeem miles harder than that are idiots are ... now no wonder that the bottom line Scott ... will this merger create a better experience for travelers that will be ... a better experience all around that when they're going to take an extra ... Ch ... he he did this mergers ... is better serves American has been struggling in line for a long time ... huge losses it's been slow to upgrade its fleet ... it's it's run allow the operation of labor union that disruptions and troubles ... on all kinds of problems and the US Airways last several years has run a top notch operation ... um they have really good ... executives on the Upper East Side ... but those people in charge of the larger American network I think that people often see ... good service and that's really the bottom line all this ... you can you get to the two airlines in and create a larger one ... that actually provide better service the people we saw that with all the Northwest lives opens and out of here ... that thing is I was for driving up to increase it